


Zen

by LadyKes



Category: NCIS
Genre: Bert the Hippo, Episode Tag, Episode: s10e08 Gone, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-21
Updated: 2012-12-21
Packaged: 2017-11-21 22:37:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/602852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyKes/pseuds/LadyKes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>   Bowling was a good distraction.  Episode tag for 10x08, Gone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Zen

It was tough for a kid to lose her dad. That was something Abby knew firsthand, although hers hadn’t died the way Lydia’s had, of course, and she couldn’t pretend to understand that part of it. No one’s grief was like anyone else’s grief. It was tough no matter whose grief it was, though, and Abby wanted to help. She’d sort of gotten to be friends with Lydia while they were trying to find Rosie and protect Lydia from the bad guys.

When it came to doing something to help, bowling was always high on the list for so many reasons, but she wasn’t sure Lydia would want to go bowling ever again after the creepy dude from the bowling alley was the one that tried to sell them both into slavery. At the same time, the entire sport of bowling shouldn’t be ruined by one creepy dude, so she texted both girls and invited them to the next practice slash casual game with the nuns. Sister Rosita always made a batch of snickerdoodles for the winner, which made the game a little less casual due to her snickerdoodle quality, but it wasn’t full on league-level playing either. Both girls accepted her invitation, yay, and they all made plans to meet at the sisters’ favorite alley, which happened to be on the other side of DC from creepy dude’s alley. They could literally go in the opposite direction from him, and that was always kind of psychologically satisfying.

When the girls arrived looking a little uncertain, she bounced up to them both and surrounded them in hugs. Lydia at least was used to that by now and she’d clearly warned Rosie, so there was no unexpected hug awkwardness. Abby hated unexpected hug awkwardness, because it was almost always the fault of the hugger for not reading a situation right and thus creating it. After their hugs, she took each of them by the arm and brought them over to the nuns’ regular lanes, then introduced them around. Both girls looked a little startled to see the reality of bowling nuns in habits in front of them, but they were friendly and of course the nuns were friendly. They loved new people and not just because they were nuns and were supposed to be kind and charitable and helpful. New people meant new ideas and new skills to be honed and that could only end well for them when it came to the league standings table.

The rules were established, namely that Sister Margaret Anne was not allowed to use both hands to bowl and Sister Mary Catherine was, because Sister Mary Catherine was 85 and Sister Margaret Anne was only 65. Teams were chosen by the traditional eenie meenie miney moe method and the games began. Both girls proved to be remarkably good once they got over their nerves and new-bowling-shoe stress. Actually, once everyone was comfortable, the scoring was high enough that other teams in the alley started keeping an eye on it. Abby did pretty well too, and she settled back into her uncomfortable molded plastic chair with a Caf-Pow after getting two strikes in a row. Lydia sat down beside her and patted Bert on the head, which he of course appreciated.

“Thanks for inviting us, Abby,” Lydia said sincerely. “It’s nice to do something normal. Not to think about everything all the time, you know? I thought I’d be too nervous to play, but I’m really not. And Rosie’s not either, obviously, since she just got a strike.”

“It’s Bert,” Abby said comfortably, although she was super happy to hear Lydia say that since normality or something resembling it had been her goal for inviting the girls in the first place. “I told you before. He’s the most zen hippo in the world.”

Lydia giggled and squeezed Bert so he farted. “Oh yeah. It’s definitely Bert.”


End file.
